Free Doctor Who: Tomb of the Cybermen by Gerry Davis Page B

returned hugging the rucksack.
    'You are cold—yes?' said Kaftan kindly as Victoria shivered and nodded. 'This will warm us both up,' said Kaftan, handing her a cup of coffee. Everything about the lovely Arab woman was now warm, friendly and even motherly towards Victoria. She took the coffee and cupped her hands round its comforting warmth.
    'Here is to success in their search,' said Kaftan, raising her own cup and drinking it like a toast.
    If the two women had not been so preoccupied with their drinks they might have noticed that Victoria's handbag had moved two inches from its position on the bench.
    Inside, the long dormant Cybermat was beginning to come to life.
     
     
    The men meanwhile had climbed down the long ladder and were assembled at the foot of the wall. Ahead, the passageway, assembled in sections like a subway tunnel, sloping down into the interior of the planet.
    As the Professor shone his flashlight ahead of them, the walls reflected back a million tiny diamond-like particles of frost rime. He stamped his feet impatiently as the Doctor and Toberman climbed down beside him.
    'Hurry up,' he said, 'we've no time to linger. It's extremely cold here. Even with these anoraks.'
    Jamie looked over at Klieg who was wearing his own expensive fleece-lined jacket. ' You obviously knew what to expect,'
    he said.
    Klieg gave a half-smile that was more like a sneer. 'I always come prepared,' he said insultingly, glancing at the Scot's bare knees below his kilt.
    'Which way do we go?' asked Viner vaguely, looking along the tunnel both ways.
    'Hardly back upwards,' said Parry, indicating the upward sloping tunnel. 'Let's try this one.' And decisively he strode along the downward passage. The others followed, their boots crunching on the powdered ice on the floor. The corridor was cut as straight as a Roman road, no difficulties such as hard rocks or underground streams could stand in the way of a race as efficient and ruthless as the Cybermen.
    'Ah! It seems we are arriving,' said the Professor.
    As the men followed the Professor out of the tunnel, they found themselves inside a huge, cathedral-like cavern.
    As the Professor's flashlight beam crept upwards they could see that, built against the rock surface, was a huge edifice that, at first sight, resembled a vast honeycomb.
    The far wall was covered with a structure composed of hexagonal units, one neatly fitting into the other like the cells in a beehive. The surface of each cell was covered with a thin membrane, heavily coated with hoar-frost.
     
    The Professor shone the torch downwards and around the cavern. Beside the entrance there was a control desk, similar to the ones in the surface rooms, but there seemed to be no further extension of the tunnel beyond the room.
    'It seems we've reached a dead end.' The Professor was tired and disappointed. 'There are no Cybertombs here. We shall have to try the other tunnel.'
    The rest of the party, except for the impassive Toberman, Klieg, who was examining the control board with his torch, and the Doctor, also voiced their disappointment.
    'This will be our tomb, if we don't get back up to the surface,'
    Viner snorted.
    'Wait,' said the Doctor, 'if I may borrow your flashlight.' He turned to the Professor and walked over to the lower row of hexagonal cells.
    'Here,' he called. Viner, Jamie and the Professor, struck by the note of excitement in his voice, walked over to him, as he put the torch against the side of the thin, white membrane.
    The light illuminated the inside of the cell. Clearly visible inside was a hunched, humanoid figure curled up in an embryonic posture with its head on its knees.
    'I think you've found your tombs, Professor.' The Doctor handed his torch to Parry and stepped back as the others clustered around, amazed.
    'It is—the Cybermen!'
    The large silver helmet was plainly visible now, as the Professor shone his torch to and fro, around the surface of the cell.
    'Here's another.' Viner pointed to the